Home Office

Terrorism: Finance

Lord James of Blackheath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to criminalise the withholding of knowledge relating to the presence or movement of funds for terrorist use made available through the co-operation of British business.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Under Section 19, Part 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000, it is already a criminal offence to fail to disclose, without reasonable excuse, information which relates to a terrorist finance offence.The Criminal Finance Bill will provide new measures to assist where incomplete information is provided and where a criminal prosecution would be disproportionate. The Bill will enable law enforcement officers to first issue a notice and then seek a Court order to compel any member of the regulated sector to provide further information in relation to a Suspicious Activity Report that has been made under the Terrorism Act 2000. Failure to comply with the order carries a fine of up to £5000.The Bill will also make disclosure orders available for terrorist finance investigations, enabling a judge to make an order directing someone to answer questions, provide information or produce documents in relation to a terrorist financing investigation. Making a false statement or failing to comply, without reasonable excuse, will be a criminal offence.

Refugees: Children

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding has been allocated to support unaccompanied children being resettled in the UK beyond 31 March 2017.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: In July 2016, we significantly increased the national rates of funding to local authorities taking responsibility for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We will keep these arrangements under review, but we have no current plans to reduce the rates.

Refugees: Children

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have contracted Oasis UK to provide accommodation for unaccompanied children coming from Calais, and if so, when was that agreement reached.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office contracted with Oasis Charitable Trust on 20 October 2016 to provide welfare support services for unaccompanied children coming from Calais.The contract with Oasis Charitable Trust was amended on 1 November 2016 to include the provision of accommodation for unaccompanied children coming from Calais.

Refugees: Children

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities have refused to provide reception and accommodation for any unaccompanied children brought from the Jungle camp at Calais.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We do not routinely disclose details of our engagement with local authorities in relation to the transfer of children from Calais. This initiative is voluntary and it is often the case that local authorities do not wish to have their participation published.

Immigration Controls

Lord Livermore: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they remain committed to reducing net migration to the tens of thousands per year.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Yes. The Government remains committed to reducing net migration to sustainable levels which we believe to be the tens of thousands per year.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Nissan

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have given Nissan any letter of comfort or undertakings that have not also been given to other businesses in connection with investment in new production capacity in the UK; and if so, what they were and whether they will publish copies of the correspondence.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made to the House on this matter on 31 October 2016, Official Report, Vol 776. Col; 491-93. 



Extract from Official Report
(PDF Document, 1.05 MB)

Companies House

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Companies House intends to launch a public consultation on the proposal to reduce the amount of time that records of dissolved companies are retained from 20 years to six; and if so, when.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has no current plans to bring forward proposals to reduce the period of time that Companies House retains records of dissolved companies. We will continue to keep the retention period under review. Any future proposal to change the retention period would be subject to public consultation.

Mesothelioma: Compensation

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the proposal by Companies House to change the policy of retention of dissolved company records from 20 years to six years will affect the ability of those who have contracted mesothelioma to seek to bring claims for compensation against their former employers and companies which have dissolved before the claimants' diagnosis.

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place with the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK, the British Lung Foundation and other relevant bodies regarding the proposal by Companies House to change the policy of retention of dissolved company records from 20 years to six years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has no current plans to bring forward proposals to reduce the period of time that Companies House retains records of dissolved companies. We will continue to keep the retention period under review. Any future proposal to change the retention period would be subject to public consultation.

Economic and Social Research Council

Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Economic and Social Research Council's process for verifying applications for grants of public funds, in the light of their £9 million grant to the Centre for Climate Change Economics.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is aware of allegations made against the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP) and the public responses issued by the CCCEP and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). BEIS takes its responsibilities to protect public funds very seriously. BEIS has received assurances from ESRC that appropriate oversight arrangements are in place.

Arctic: Russia

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the House of Lords Arctic Committee's Responding to a Changing Arctic report, what steps they are taking with other EU and Arctic Council countries to exchange data with Russia about the Arctic region, especially regarding the methane and dangerous greenhouse gases being generated in this region.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Arctic Council plays a key role in gathering and acting on evidence about environmental change in the region. As an Observer State, the UK engages periodically with the Arctic Council’s Black Carbon and Methane Expert Group, including through submitting its National Report on Enhanced Black Carbon and Methane Emissions Reduction in 2015. This was done alongside seven other nations and the EU.In October 2016, scientists from UK, Russia, EU and Arctic Council countries met. One of the main issues discussed was the consequence of thawing permafrost in Russia. A key outcome of the discussions will be the development of a roadmap for future research, monitoring and collaboration.The Government recognises the importance of understanding change in the Russian Arctic and looks forward to seeing valuable new opportunities arising from the new Agreement on Enhancing Arctic Scientific Cooperation reached by the Arctic States this year. This is expected to be signed and come into operation in 2017. The Government will continue to support UK scientific engagement with the Russian Arctic through the work of the Natural Environment Research Council Arctic Office and others.

Tenofovir

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences about the extension of its patent for the drug tenofovir.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We are not aware of any such discussions. We are aware of three supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) granted in the UK to Gilead Sciences for products involving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, of which one has been surrendered and two are the subject of revocation proceedings.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: Rohingya

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of an upsurge in violence against Rohingya Muslims by the Burmese military.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We condemn the attacks on 9 October in northern Rakhine and the killing of nine Burmese Border Guard policemen. Since then, we have become increasingly concerned by emerging reports of human rights violations committed by security forces. The British Ambassador to Burma travelled to Northern Rakhine on 2 November and along with our US and EU partners have pressed the Burmese Government for a full and transparent investigation. I made these concerns clear to the Burmese Government during my visit there last week (9-12 November) when I met the Minister of Defence, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. I reiterated the UK Government's call for restraint and the restoration of humanitarian and other access. I also met Rohingya representatives in Rangoon. We welcome Aung San Suu Kyi's commitment to a fair and legally compliant investigation and urge the security forces to abide by international norms and commitments. We will continue to monitor developments closely.

Somalia: Security

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the security situation in Somalia as a result of the withdrawal of Ethiopian armed forces from that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware that Ethiopia has withdrawn some of their non-African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces. We are in close contact with the government of Ethiopia, other AMISOM troop contributing countries, and key donors to explore options to mitigate the effect of the withdrawal on security in Somalia and the wider region.Al-Shabaab remains a threat and continues to launch attacks in Somalia and the wider region.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have they had with the government of Israel regarding Israel's regulations for operating drones in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities over the use of drones over the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding reports of the levelling of Palestinian owned land east of Nablus on 22 October.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. The UK Government continues to argue for a just outcome for all the people affected by illegal settlement construction. The UK’s position on settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two state solution. We regularly raise our concerns on this issue and strongly urge the government of Israel to reverse its systematic policy of settlement expansion.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding reports of a raid on al-Aqsa Mosque on 23 October.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. The UK continues to support preservation of the longstanding status quo at the Haram al Sharif/Temple Mount compound.

Department for Education

Higher Education: Disability

Lord Addington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Equality and Human Rights Commission was asked to prepare specific guidance on managing reasonable adjustments in higher education.

Lord Nash: The Equality and Human Rights Commission published guidance for further and higher education providers on how to avoid unlawful discrimination in 2014. The guidance – “What equality law means for you as an education provider – further and higher education” includes guidance and information about reasonable adjustments in higher education.

Free School Meals: Richmond upon Thames

Baroness Kramer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children received free school meals as part of the universal free school meals programme in the constituency of Richmond Park in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Lord Nash: 4,519 pupils in Richmond Park constituency received a free school meal as part of the universal infant free school meals programme in January 2016. 4,453 pupils received a free school meal as part of the universal infant free school meals programme in January 2015. Universal infant free school meals were introduced in September 2014, therefore data for earlier years do not exist.

Children: Day Care

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what additional funding they plan to provide to compensate childcare providers for increased costs as a result of proposed increases in training requirements applicable to childcare providers and in the National Minimum Wage.

Lord Nash: This Government is investing £1 billion of additional funding per year in the early years free entitlements, including £300 million per year to increase the national average funding rate. This record level of investment was based on a rich source of evidence – the ‘Review of Childcare Costs’ which looked at both the current costs of childcare provision and the implications of future cost pressures facing the sector (including the National Living Wage). Copies of the Analytical Report and the Executive Summary are attached.We are determined that the maximum amount of this record level of investment reaches childcare providers. That is why, as part of our recent consultation ‘Early years funding: changes to funding for 3- and 4-year-olds’, we proposed that local authorities pass through 95% of their allocated funding to the frontline. Providers will then have the funding and increased choice in how to invest in the quality of their offer, including how to invest in their workforce.



Analytical report of the review of childcare costs
(PDF Document, 960.52 KB)




Executive summary of the review of childcare costs
(PDF Document, 179.08 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Ellie Butler

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any complaint has been made to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office about the conduct of Mrs Justice Hogg in the case of Ellie Butler.

Lord Keen of Elie: Correspondence was received at the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) about the decisions reached by Mrs Justice Hogg in the Butler case. The JCIO has no remit to investigate judicial decisions. These can be appealed through the Court, where the right of appeal exists.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Sports

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to ensure that the UK remains a partner in collaborating, and sharing learning with EU member states to develop and improve the conditions of sport.

Lord Ashton of Hyde: The UK continues to work with all our international partners to promote and develop sport. The Minister for Sport recently hosted her Polish counterpart in London and had similar meetings at the Rio Olympics with her counterparts from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Ireland & Iceland. In addition, the UK has also welcomed visiting delegations from France and Kuwait to share our expertise.​

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty

Lord Bird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Eurostat figures and analysis published on 17 October, The share of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU back to its pre-crisis level, what plans they have to work with (1) the EU and other international partners, and (2) the UK devolved administrations, in reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

Lord Freud: The PM has been clear that tackling poverty and disadvantage, and delivering real social reform, will be a priority for this Government. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has said that he will return to the House with further announcements over the coming months. The Devolved Administrations have an important role in reducing the numbers of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion and we will continue to engage with them where appropriate. Additionally, the UK participates in the Semester process. The European Semester was set up in 2010 to implement the Europe 2020 strategy, which includes a target for poverty reduction. As such, this includes looking at the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the UK.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Lord Bird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the trial of an early warning sanctions system piloted in Scotland; and what plans they have to introduce an early warning system for people issued with benefit sanctions in England and Wales.

Lord Freud: A Jobseeker’s Allowance Sanctions “Early Warning” Trial was launched in March 2016 in Scotland. The trial ran until September 2016 and a full evaluation is being undertaken. The Government will respond to the final evaluation report in due course.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance: Richmond upon Thames

Baroness Kramer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total block grant given to Richmond Council in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: It is not possible to directly compare the figures across years due to changes in the services funded through the block grant for each year. However, I will place the figures in question in the libraries of both Houses. Revenue Support GrantRedistributed Business RatesEstimated Retained Business RatesFormula GrantSettlement Funding Assessment (1)(2)(3)(4)=(1)+(2)(5)=(1)+(3)2012-13572,60129,538,726 30,111,328 2013-1429,642,18919,720,13749,362,326  2014-1525,785,90920,104,29645,890,205  2015-1621,584,27820,488,45442,072,732  2016-1712,333,794 20,659,191 32,992,985

Local Government: Devolution

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish the annual report on devolution required by section 1 of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Government intends to publish and lay before Parliament the Annual Report on Devolution for 2015-16 as required by section 1 of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 later this month. The Report will show the progress made on devolution up to 31 March 2016 as required by the Act.

HM Treasury

Economic Situation: Forecasts

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Young of Cookham on 25 October (HL2429) about economic forecasting, whether they will now answer the question asked.

Lord Young of Cookham: HM Treasury does not produce economic forecasts. As such, there are no forecasts on which to evaluate performance.

EU Budget: Contributions

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the difference between the UK's gross and net contributions to the EU budget, in sterling, is attributed to spending in the UK on (1) regional aid, (2) agriculture, (3) universities through programmes such as Erasmus, and (4) other areas of domestic spending.

Lord Young of Cookham: HM Treasury have published the expected sectoral split under the current multiannual financial framework, which can be found on the gov.uk website. This analysis of spending in the UK shows that we expect 7% of receipts to cover rural development and the environment, 44% to cover agriculture and fisheries and 27% to cover research and development.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend that the UK’s future relationship with the European Union will be established in the withdrawal agreement or whether further negotiations will be required.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Article 50 states that the process for withdrawal will take account of the ‘framework’ of the leaving Member State’s future relationship with the EU, and there is a clear connection between the terms of our withdrawal and the future relationship that we want to establish.We do not want to get ahead of the negotiations or set out unilateral positions. How we take the process forward will be a matter for discussion with the EU institutions and our European partners. But given the language in Article 50, and the connection between our withdrawal and our future relationship, it is our intention to seek to deal with both sets of issues together wherever possible, something that would clearly be in the interests of the EU as well as the UK.

Department of Health

Atrial Fibrillation

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of clinical commissioning groups commission community pharmacists to support patients with atrial fibrillation to adhere to anticoagulation therapy.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Information on the number of clinical commissioning groups commissioning such a service from community pharmacies is not held centrally.

Atrial Fibrillation

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to run a public awareness campaign to improve the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) has recently run a Be Clear on Cancer campaign to raise awareness of respiratory symptoms, including breathlessness, which can be a symptom of Atrial Fibrillation. The campaign aimed to encourage those with inappropriate breathlessness or a persistent cough lasting three weeks or more to go and see their general practitioner. PHE also manages the Act FAST campaign to raise awareness of the signs of a stroke and encourage people to call 999 immediately, so that those experiencing a stroke get to hospital as soon as possible. People seen within three hours have a better chance of recovery and reduced disability. The campaign focuses on the FAST acronym that helps people to recognise the signs of stroke and understand the importance of emergency treatment. Atrial Fibrillation is one of the most common forms of abnormal heart rhythm and a major cause of stroke.

Social Services: Finance

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) what are the present costs to the NHS of adult social care, and (2) how much additional funding they estimate is required to ensure the adequate provision of social care, particularly for the elderly.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government recognises that adult social care and National Health Service costs are closely related, and that savings can be achieved through better integration. For this reason we introduced the Government’s £5.3 billion Better Care Fund. This has provided much needed investment in better integrated care through locally developed plans, and by putting resources where the local NHS and social services think they are needed. Calculating the exact relationship between health and social care expenditure is complex and the subject of further work. The Autumn 2015 Spending Review settlement announced that local authorities who are responsible for social care would have the ability to raise additional funding to spend exclusively on adult social care through an annual council tax raise of up to two per cent above the existing threshold. The Government will be making further funding available to councils for adult social care through an improved Better Care Fund, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019-20. Taken together, this means local government has access to funding to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament.